Adolf Pietrasiak (17 November 1916 – 29 November 1943) was a Polish fighter ace of the Polish Air Force in World War II with 8 confirmed kills and one shared.
Adolf Pietrasiak | |
|---|---|
| Born | 17 November 1916 Kośmin, Poland |
| Died | 29 November 1943 (aged 27) English Channel |
| Allegiance |  Poland France United Kingdom |
| Service |  Polish Air Force France Armée de l'Air Royal Air Force |
| Years of service | 1932–1943 |
| Rank | podporucznik |
| Service number | P-2093 |
| Unit | Polish 122nd Fighter Escadrille No. 303 Polish Fighter Squadron No. 92 Squadron RAF No. 308 Polish Fighter Squadron No. 317 Polish Fighter Squadron |
| Battles / wars | Polish Defensive War, World War II |
| Awards | Virtuti Militari; Cross of Valour; Distinguished Flying Medal |
Biography
editAdolf Pietrasiak was born in Kośmin near Puławy. In 1932 he entered the Air Force Non-Commissioned Officer's School for minors in Bydgoszcz. Four years later he was assigned to Polish 122nd Fighter Escadrille in Kraków.
During the Invasion of Poland, on 6 September 1939 Pietrasiak's PZL P.11 was damaged by his own side's anti-aircraft guns. On the morning of 18 September he crossed the border with Romania, then he came to France. He served in the Kosiński section in Bourges. On 5 June 1940, flying a Curtiss P-36 Hawk, Pietrasiak claimed three victories shared.
On 27 June 1940 he arrived in the United Kingdom and was posted to No. 303 Polish Fighter Squadron then to No. 92 Squadron RAF. In July 1941 he downed seven Bf 109. On 23 July he was transferred to No. 308 Polish Fighter Squadron. On 19 August he was shot down over France, landing by parachute he injured his leg. He came back to England via Spain and Gibraltar in November. From 24 August 1942 he flew in No. 317 Polish Fighter Squadron.
On 29 November 1943 Pietrasiak took off in a Spitfire and never came back. His plane probably crashed in the English Channel.[1] His body was never found.
Awards
edit
Virtuti Militari, Silver Cross
_BAR.PNG){kind=small}
Cross of Valour (Poland)
Distinguished Flying Medal
References
edit- ^ According to web.me.com his Spitfire IX MA584 collided with another plane during Ramrod 339 over Dunkirk.
Further reading
edit- Tadeusz Jerzy Krzystek, Anna Krzystek: Polskie Siły Powietrzne w Wielkiej Brytanii w latach 1940-1947 łącznie z Pomocniczą Lotniczą Służbą Kobiet (PLSK-WAAF). Sandomierz: Stratus, 2012, p. 449. ISBN 978-83-61421-59-7
- Sikora, Piotr (2014). Asy polskiego lotnictwa (in Polish). Warsaw: Oficyna Wydawnicza Alma-Press. pp. 261–266. ISBN 978-83-7020-560-7.
- Zieliński, Józef (1994). Asy polskiego lotnictwa (in Polish). Warsaw: Agencja lotnicza ALTAIR. p. 41. ISBN 83-86217-20-0. OCLC 34751125.
- Zmyślony, Wojciech. "Adolf Pietrasiak". www.polishairforce.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 31 May 2012.
- "Adolf Pietrasiak". web.me.com. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
- "Adolf Pietrasiak". mysliwcy.pl (in Polish). Archived from the original on 4 May 2013. Retrieved 31 May 2012.